The terms used in the online gambling industry have recently been supplemented with a new word – gamification.
It involves using elements of the game to more actively attract and retain players.
Practice shows that gamification really brings the necessary results: it becomes much more interesting for gamblers to play, so they are more willing to place bets, which has a positive effect on casino profits.
It should be noted that fans of gambling entertainment are already familiar with almost all possible varieties of forms of gamification. First of all, these are well-known loyalty programs in online casinos, offering which operators turn gambling into a game even before site visitors launch slots, roulette and other entertainment.
The loyalty program is a system of points with various prizes for staying on the site for a long time and being active. That is, the more time the user spends in the casino, participating in gambling, the higher his level becomes. As a result, he receives a reward in the form of special bonuses, gift certificates and prizes.
The principle of ordinary games works here, where you need to collect points to open new levels or get additional features.
Against the backdrop of great competition, the natural desire of an online casino operator is the desire to be in the forefront among popular establishments.
To achieve the goal, developers are trying to diversify the offers to users. So, many of them arrange tournaments, according to the results of which the most successful players are displayed in leaderboards (leaderboard). In addition to getting into the list of winners, gamblers receive winnings in the form of bonuses or credits.
Obviously, the opportunity to take part in tournaments fuels interest in games and in the casino itself.
An online casino can offer paid and free tournaments that take place daily.
Compared to tournaments, missions are not yet as popular, but they are quite common in many casinos. As part of this form of gamification, players are asked to perform certain tasks and receive rewards for this.
Completing a certain mission in the game makes it even more interesting for the player, makes you want to stay longer on the casino site in order to complete all the tasks.
Upon completion of the mission, the player receives a prize and the opportunity to proceed to another task, in which the prizes can be even more attractive. Some casinos turn the mission into a full-fledged adventure, where you need to move from one place on the map to another, get bonuses, fight bad heroes, etc. And, despite the fact that all the plots are fictional, but they really increase the level of player involvement. Every adult has the soul of a child, so the thirst for adventure and victory fuels the desire of the gambler to place bets.
Gamification makes games more attractive, helps to attract a younger generation of players to online casinos who love crazy games with all these achievements, levels, choice of heroes, etc. That is, if elements of computer games familiar and loved by young people are added to ordinary online casino games, the target audience will be more active. This will attract new visitors to the online casino.
Gamification for gambling can be called a new and effective type of advertising that increases the influx of customers, the number and size of bets. Therefore, there is reason to believe that another trendy term will soon become stronger in the gambling business – shopification, when a store will be opened at each casino.
And why not? Moreover, there are already operators offering a decent selection of goods on their websites.
When developing a gamification scenario, it is necessary to take into account the main mistakes that novice operators make. Let’s take a look at them.
First of all, digital promotion of an online casino should be guided by the needs of the target audience. It is important to remember that the same methods can work differently in different regions, that is, in one place they show efficiency, and in another, on the contrary, these same methods will be ineffective. Therefore, at all stages of the implementation of gamification, it is necessary to conduct an analysis.
To create a flawless gamification scenario, you need to follow these steps:
In the absence of qualified support in the development of a gamification scenario, mistakes can be made that can destroy the entire promotion strategy and create problems.
Let’s designate the most frequent of them.
1.Focus on the competition
Of course, the competition can be exciting, however, it should not divert people’s attention from the main thing. Because if all players are only concerned with reaching the top, then the content itself will be left without attention.
In order not to avoid such a mistake, the competition should be long enough so that both the beginner is not disappointed due to poor initial results, and the experienced player also has a chance to win.
2. Complex mechanics
An analysis of the behavior of players shows that when faced with difficult tasks in the game, site visitors begin to get annoyed, reduce the playing time, or even leave the virtual casino altogether.
Therefore, it is better to abandon complex mechanics and simplify the rules so that gamblers can achieve better results with a sense of progress without irritation.
3. Too many awards
Rewards that everyone likes, give joy and satisfaction from the process of the game. However, if you constantly reward users, throw up points, bonuses, privileges, then with a high probability the users of your site will no longer take them lightly and consider them something special.
Rewards should be used to get users to make deposits and reward users for doing certain things. And if they will receive rewards for any actions, then how will you direct them in the right direction?
Stick to a simple principle. Select two or three actions that you want users to perform. By giving rewards to users for some special behavior, in this way you can encourage them to do what you want, what is most beneficial to you.
If you can’t give yourself an answer to the question: “What is the purpose of the game?”, then with a high degree of probability, you will not be able to catch and engage your audience.
Remember the words of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland: “If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which way you choose.” Therefore, in order to know in which direction to move, before implementing a gamification strategy, choose and set clear goals.
Let’s designate the possible goals of gamification:
With a clear plan, you can manage the mechanics of the game, make the game “live” and make changes and updates in time.
Lack of motivation
If people are not getting involved in your gamification project, then they are not motivated.
To keep users interested and create conditions that motivate you to play, you must imagine yourself as a gambler and answer the question: “What attracts me to this game?” It will be ideal if you can give at least five answers to this one question.
For players, the following factors are good motivation:
Our company offers the services of qualified specialists who will help you develop the correct and strategically correct gamification scenario. And in order to stand out among competitors, thanks to a unique advertising approach, use the turnkey casino service.
Gamification in practice shows itself as a successful addition to the advertising campaigns carried out by many gaming site managers. The use of this approach works to increase the efficiency of the platform, attract new players and retain regular customers.
Our marketers, who track effective advertising methods and implement them in client startups, will help you choose the right and right strategy for your online casino in the long run!
